


Time Difference

by gretaamyk



Category: Criminal Minds, Matthew Gray Gubler - Fandom, Spencer Reid - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Spencer Reid Fluff, Spencer Reid imagine, bau, criminal minds - Freeform, spencer reid x reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26651359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gretaamyk/pseuds/gretaamyk
Summary: You decide to surprise Spencer at the airport to pick him up after being separated for a case. But, he gets in so early in the morning that you’re almost asleep while standing.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader
Kudos: 85





	Time Difference

Spencer was gone again, this time for two weeks. His job was tedious and extremely hands on, but Spencer loved doing it nonetheless. However, you had to admit to that you wished you were more involved in his life then you felt like you currently were. Of course you lived with him, but with him gone more often than not, it definitely didn’t feel that way. You always hoped that it would just be a matter of days before he was beside you again. But cases investigating the darkest parts of humanity weren’t solved over night.

But lately, the out of state cases had started to pile up more consistently than they have in the past. The BAU’s schedule was irresolute at the best of times, and demented at the worst, meaning that your boyfriend would be called away from you at any hour of any day. You started waking up without Spencer by your side so often that it soon became apart of your routine.

You don’t blame Spencer, though, no matter how crazy this was making you. He made it clear he hates it as much as you do, while trying to make things up to you as best as he can. Whether it was a snow-globe or a cute little mug, you could always expect a cute little souvenir from his hotel’s gift shops— as long as he finds that the destination is worth while. You still had a tattered postcard of the Seattle skyline taped to your mirror with a cute little message scrawled on the back.

Y/n,

I remembered how you love night life and the rain on city streets. The best of this city reminds me of you, and I would love to bring you here under kinder circumstances.

I love and miss you,

Spence xx

He mailed that to you during one of the excessively long trips he took on a big case in Washington State. When he got home you told him that he could’ve just given it to you now, but then he hugged you tightly and with a stupid grin on his face he said, “Yeah, but it’s the effort that makes it special, don’t you think?”

He was right. He always was, thanks to that big ol’ IQ of his. You don’t know how he always managed to make time for you while simultaneously saving lives across the country. But he did. You couldn’t believe that he was a real person, and one that you got to call yours nonetheless.

It was getting late, but you didn’t feel like you’ve been sleeping that much anyway. Spencer would usually help you with that. He would hold you into his chest, with his heartbeat purring the sweetest lullaby into your ear and quell you to sleep. Without him, you’ve noticed, your brain ran a mile a minute. You figured that you were a handful, especially with this, But he would always laugh and reassure you, “Maybe you are, but it’s a good thing I have two hands then, huh?” and then kiss you on the cheek. You smiled at the memory and brought your fingertips up to your face and grazed where his lips had been in that moment.

Then your expression fell back into a frown as an idea slipped into your mind. You sat up in bed and reached over to turn on the lamp on the bedside table. You grabbed your phone to check the time, not wanting to use the effort needed to read the analog clock on your wall. It was almost One AM, making it about Ten PM Spencer’s time.

He had sent you a text a few hours ago, just before his plane took off. Just a few reminders of details about his trip home. That he would take a taxi home and he would try not to wake you when he got there. His plane would be coming into the airport in about an hour from now. Your eyes drifted from the text, to the postcard on the mirror, and then to the clock on your phone.

You then swung your legs over the side of the bed and got up. You grabbed your keys off the kitchen counter and slid on your vans, not giving much thought to your Christmas pajamas. You decided you were going to pick your boy up from the airport yourself. And once the idea came into your head, you figured it wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon.

At this point, the drive to the airport was muscle memory. You wished that you could come along for one of his trips someday, but you figured that the murders being investigated make the vacation sound a little less appealing so you tried not to dwell on the idea.

You didn’t bother turning the music on in the car, you were too focused on your mission. Of course now that you were no longer in the comfort of your bed your eyelids started to feel heavy. It’s funny how it always seems to work out that way. You didn’t want to be a danger to yourself or Spencer on the way back home, so you figured you should grab a cup of coffee at the airport.

You got to the airport and parked as close as you could to the front of the main building. The air was freezing on your pajama clad body, but made you feel a little more awake for the time being. You walked in and went all the way though airport security just to pick him up directly at his gate. Number three, coming in from San Francisco.

You stopped in your tracks in front of the gate, seeing your boyfriends plane coming down the runway through the windows. A tired smile flickered across your face, followed by a big yawn that teared up your eyes.

Soon the doors opened up and a herd of people funneled through like sheep. You waited, watching each individual person come through the gate. You began to feel worried that you came to the wrong gate and missed him. But then, you felt relief wash over you as you caught a glimpse of your favorite FBI team. They looked tired, but for from a long day of traveling rather than from sleep deprivation. JJ saw you first, perking up and waving, and then brought everyone else’s attention to you. Rossi waved and Morgan winked, the rest giving similar greetings and orbiting closer to you. Then Spencer came through the gate last and scanned the crowd looking for his friends. His eyes landed on your group, and then focused further on you. His mouth evolved into a warm, tired smile and he pulled his headphones down around his neck. You noticed that he was wearing his Christmas pajamas too, the ones identical to yours.

“Hi, Spence.” you said softly.

“Look at you, pretty boy, you hit the jackpot!” Morgan joked with Spencer, “My girlfriend told me to sleep on the couch tonight so I don’t wake her up, and you got her picking you up at the airport? While you wear matching pajamas? This ain’t fair.”

“I had no idea she was coming,” he told Morgan with his voice cracking. He approached you closer and wrapped his arms around you.

“I missed you so much.” Spencer said, feeling so many of the raw emotions that you experience only after being apart from the one you love for so long. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes and he held you so tightly that you thought you might absorb into each other like play-doh.

“I missed you too.” You pressed against his chest. You inhaled his scent, A mixture of him and hotel shampoo. He placed his head on top of yours and wiped away tears from his tired eyes.

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, you two, but I gotta go meet Will at baggage claim.” JJ said, blowing you a kiss before saying goodbye to the rest of the group. Everyone began to slowly drift away from the group but you and Spencer stayed there in the arms of one another for what felt like forever.

“Spencer?” you asked, your voice so quiet that Spencer almost couldn’t hear you over the bustling sounds of the airport. He hummed in response. “I don’t like you being away for so long. I miss you so much that I forgot what it was like to see you every morning.”

Your eyes teared up as you admitted your concerns, Spencer released a shaky breath. You worried for a moment that you said something upsetting, but he just rubbed your arms.

“I hate it too. I hate it so much that I’m not going anywhere for a while.” You looked up at him curiously. “I got some time off.”

You broke apart from his grasp and looked at him with excited disbelief. “Spencer, are you kidding me?”

“No.” He smiled, “I think I have a lot of time to make up with you.” He pressed a kiss just below your jaw and you let out a soft hum of contentment. He kissed you again down your neck, and once more on your shoulder.

“Don’t get too excited, save it for later.” You smiled, gently breaking away from your boyfriend and ruffled his already messy hair. You always likes it styled like this, short and fluffy.

“Sleepy?” You asked.

He nodded, but followed up with “Only a little bit though. Are you sleepy?”

“Very. I was trying to go to sleep but I couldn’t because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. So I wanted to pick you up.” You sighed, “but now that I’m out of the house, I can barely keep my eyes open. Let’s go get me a coffee so I don’t kill us on the way home.”

Your head fell forward to its previous place on his chest, which you felt vibrate as a chuckle escaped his lips. He rubbed the sides of your arms and kissed the top of your head.

“Maybe I should be the one to drive home then?” His voice turned up like a question.

You looked up at him with hesitation. That was probably a good idea, but you felt bad. “Maybe? Maybe. Shit, I wanted to surprise you, you shouldn’t have to drive, I’m so sorry.”

“No! No, don’t be sorry! I’m just… I’m so happy that I get to see you again that I don’t give a shit whether or not I drive home. ‘kay? Let’s go home.”

You nodded slowly, and he placed his hand on the small of your back, leading you to baggage claim. His black suitcase came around on the conveyor belt pretty quickly, so you were able to get in the car.

As soon as your head hit the leather seat, you were out like a light. Spencer laughed quietly to himself, before gently buckling you into your seat before driving home. He was of course tired too, doing what he does for a living really takes it out of you. But he looks over at you and felt rejuvenated by the warmth you gave him in his heart.

He pulled into the driveway, having driven especially well on the way home as not to wake you. He hopped around to your side of the car and pulled you into his arms. You subconsciously cuddled into his chest which made his heart swell. A smile flickered across his face as he carried you inside your cozy little house, figuring he would bring his luggage in tomorrow morning.

He brought you up the stairs and into your room, placing you gently into your side of the bed and tucked you in like a small child. He brushed hair away from your eyes and kissed your forehead. He kicked his shoes off his feet and slid under the covers next to you.  
He brought you up the stairs and into your room, placing you gently into your side of the bed and tucking you under the covers. He kicked off his shoes and slid next to you, before fitting himself against the curve of your body like he was completing a puzzle. As he began to close his eyes he thought that tonight will probably be the best he has slept in a while. Because as he found out while sleeping alone, its easiest to fall asleep when the person you love is there beside you.

Before Spencer finally slipped into unconsciousness he tightened his arm around your waist and hummed softly, “I’m not going anywhere.”


End file.
